Chasing Summer
by roses and hello
Summary: [Formerly 'King's Cross'] Harry and Ginny attempt to find their feet in a world reestablishing itself after the defeat of Voldemort, a world comprised presently of funerals, Muggle PMs, and irate brothers.
1. sealing the cracks

Post-DH, obvious spoilers. This follows on neatly from my 'Charming Wizards' fic.

This contains some quasi-canon information found in various JKR interviews, specifically (but possibly not limited to) Umbridge's fate and Harry's future career.

* * *

It couldn't be much past one o'clock. 

Ginny knew this because she had been lying awake in her bed, sheets twisted around her, since just after eleven. She had managed to endure the atmosphere downstairs for longer than what had become normal, because Harry was now at the Burrow. However, her family home had infected even him throughout the evening, pulling apart his smiles and dissecting his laughter so it sounded like a hollow, empty noise.

She shouldn't have brought him here.

But, _oh_, she'd been hoping that her mum's instincts would kick in when she saw a boy who she considered to be her own son, or that one of her brothers might crack a smile and strike up a conversation about Quidditch, or that her father might do _something_. She'd hoped that bringing an outsider into their fractured house might mean the cracks would seal themselves over.

It hadn't worked, and the strains were beginning to show in the person she had selfishly sought salvation from. Hadn't the wizarding world drained Harry Potter enough already? It had only been a week. One week since Voldemort's demise, one week since Fred had died, and already Ginny couldn't bear seeing Bill's solemn face at the breakfast table. She had longed for Charlie to come home for so long, but she didn't expect it to be like this. He was a man of actions rather than words, but she'd rather his trembling voice than his shaking hands and that grim set of his mouth. Percy was miserable too, but she had never been close to Percy, and having him shut up all day long in his room was actually rather comforting, an echo of how things had been. Before.

She shouldn't have brought him here.

And they shouldn't have put him in the twins' room.

She hadn't seen it coming. She had been too uncomfortable, distracted by wanting to touch Harry and make sure he was really there, whilst the conversation shrunk towards non-existent. Before she knew what was happening, Molly had risen and told him where he was sleeping, and her parents were leaving the room, and that _horrible_ frozen look was overtaking his features.

There wasn't any space for him elsewhere, true, even though Ron had scampered off to help retrieve Hermione's parents and Fred was dead. Bill and George had taken over Ron's old room, Charlie and Percy were in Percy's old room, which left Ginny with an especially Phlegmy bedroom and the twins' room empty.

Ginny let out a heavy sigh, but fortunately her sleeping sister-in-law did not stir. Suddenly unable to bear staying put for a second longer, she flung the covers aside and tiptoed to the door, snatching up her wand as she went.

"Lumos," Ginny whispered and winced, blinking until her eyes had adjusted to the new level of light. She proceeded to creep along until she reached the twins' room, hesitating only a half-second before entering. Harry's sleeping figure was thrown into relief by the light cast from her wand. He was, she noted, sleeping on George's old bed.

"Nox."

She closed the door quietly behind her, unsure what to do. She _wanted_ to climb in beside Harry, but then she might wake him up, and he needed his sleep. It would be better if she took Fred's bed instead. It was silly, being afraid to use a bed or a bedroom. Fred would think it was silly. Fred wouldn't understand the mourning the Weasley family had undergone, all dark circles under eyes and muted voices and no arguments.

She swallowed tightly and sat gingerly on the edge of Fred's bed, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. It_ was_ silly, but she did miss him. It was almost like they had lost both the twins – she hadn't seen George since after the Battle at Hogwarts.

Ginny curled up on Fred's bed, placing her wand on the table next to the bed. She didn't bother to move the sheets that remained from the last time he had slept here. The pillow smelled faintly of him, and she hugged it tightly to her, her eyes finally closing.

* * *

The next thing Ginny was aware of was a figure standing next to her bed. Her sleepy mind recognised that it must be Harry. 

His back was to her, and he was tying his trainers up, bracing one shoe on the foot of the bed. She sat up, frowning, and set the pillow aside. It was morning, judging by the light streaming through the curtains. She grabbed her wand, about to leave.

"Harry, I-"

But she hadn't been the only one about to leave, by the looks of things. As she reached out a hand to him, she saw that he also had his wand in his hand. Her hand fastened around his wrist as he Disapparated.

The scene unfolded and refolded around her, but she held tight to Harry throughout. Finally, she felt as though she might be on solid ground again, although she couldn't quite make herself look up. Her hair fortunately prevented her from having to, falling very conveniently in front of her face, so she wouldn't have to explain to Harry exactly why she'd been in his room or why she'd clung to him as snugly as Lavender Brown.

Well, at least it hadn't been _that_ snugly.

"Ginny?" Harry's voice held an incredulous note. Fortunately this was a question which required only a nod, and she performed the necessary action. Unfortunately, he was brushing her hair away from her face. She had longed for him to be this close for almost a year, but in her thoughts about this moment, she had never sketched in the blush that seemed to be spreading throughout her from top to toe, nor the fact that said blush would be especially visible because she was wearing her summer pyjamas. "What are you doing here?"

Ginny glanced around, and grimaced. _Here_ appeared to be some sort of Muggle hive. There were Muggles everywhere – gathering in the small array of shops, walking briskly through, or staring up at some sort of box thing.

She blinked. _Here_ was King's Cross station.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in wonder, unconsciously throwing his question back at him. She turned her head this way and that, trying to ascertain why he would have come here of all places, and completely unaware of how many looks her attire was attracting.

Harry did not, however, possess the same blissful ignorance. He cleared his throat. "Ginny, take my t-shirt," he offered, beginning to pull it off.

She snorted. "I don't think that would help," she answered, sticking her wand in the waistband of her shorts. "Then I'd be wandering around with a bare-chested man, and what would people think?"

"I'll take you back to the Burrow, in that case. Then you don't need to worry about bare-chested men at all."

She simply raised her eyebrows at him.

He managed to eventually persuade her to put his socks on, because she didn't really want to walk around barefoot, and then he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and steered her in the direction of a pasty shop. She hadn't thought to be hungry before that, and was grateful that Harry had money from his recent forays into the Muggle world to avoid being recognised.

It was only when she was half-way through the pasty that she felt it an appropriate time to repeat her question.

"Yes, I know what you asked," Harry said dryly. "It was exactly what I had just asked you."

"I came in to check on you, and ended up falling asleep on Fred's bed," she said with a shrug. "I didn't really think what was happening when I grabbed hold of you."

"Good job I noticed that you had," he said absently, his attention mostly on his own breakfast. "I can't think what your mum would have done to me if I'd brought you back Splinched. Probably something along the lines of what she'd have done to me if she'd found you in my room this morning."

Ginny shrugged. "She wouldn't have cared," she said in a hard, flat voice.

Harry pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. "Of course she would have."

She frowned, returning to the remains of her pasty so they wouldn't have to continue upon this line of conversation. When she had finished, she asked for the third time why they were at King's Cross, of all places.

She happened to have tilted her head back to look up at him precisely as he answered, and he looked much older than nearly eighteen. The far-off expression he wore frightened her a little. "Closure," he replied finally.

* * *

Breakfast over with, they got to their feet, and Ginny waited whilst Harry glanced around. 

"What are you looking for?"

"I don't know which platform it was," he replied, looking forlorn.

Which platform _what_ was?

She decided not to press the matter, though, and laced her fingers through his, trying not to pay attention to the group of teenage boys who were shouting a barrage of lewd remarks based around her night clothes.

Harry obviously could not ignore the comments, and he strode off towards Platforms 9, 10 and 11, keeping a tight hold of her hand.

"Harry, where are we going?" she asked, taking care where she stepped because of all the broken glass on the floor. "Platform 9 3/4s is closed," she added when they reached the barrier to the Hogwarts train. "This one only opens for term time. There are other wizard platforms, though; did you need one of them?"

He wasn't really listening to her, and all of a sudden, he sank down onto a bench, covering his face with his hands. She settled next to him and folded her arms around him.

"I thought it would help," he said in a muffled voice.

"What would?" she asked gently, her face creasing in concern.

He emerged from his hands and gestured to Platform 9. "This. I don't know. This is where I was, when I – passed on. Obviously it wasn't really here, but I thought it would – I don't _know_," he finished, frustrated.

Ginny hesitated. They hadn't talked about what had happened at the Battle of Hogwarts, but Voldemort and Hagrid had thought Harry dead. She didn't really want to know what had happened. Ron knew, which meant Hermione probably did too, and that meant Harry had told them, but that didn't follow that he should tell Ginny as well.

"It wasn't really a _platform_," he said musingly. "Maybe that's it."

"Why do you want to find it again?" she enquired, her voice low. She was frightened in a way she had almost forgotten about, though it had only been a week since she had felt such fear.

He glanced up at her, and some of the dissatisfaction left his face. "I don't really," he said slowly. "I just thought it might help. It was something I'd been thinking about, and I woke up, and sort of felt I had to come here. We lost-" He coughed, and looked back down at his lap, and his next words were barely audible – "so many."

"And saved so many," Ginny said fiercely. "Do you hear that, Harry? You saved them all. You saved _me_."

He chuckled, spreading his fingers out on his lap. "I think your mum did that, actually."

She let herself smile at the memory. "Yeah, that's true."

"She looked like Sirius when she died. Bellatrix."

Ginny placed one of her hands on top of his, and squeezed his hand gently. "She shouldn't have taken on my mum, then," she said, unable to keep the pride out of her voice. She didn't want to let him mope over Sirius's death, not that he seemed particularly inclined to. "And _Voldemort_," she said, enunciating the name carefully, "shouldn't have taken you on."

He grinned. "Yeah, I think that was his big mistake. Poor Riddle."

She tried not to stiffen at the name. It recalled too many painful memories, things she had far rather forget. Harry must have noticed her tense face, because his own looked rather guilty. Try as she might, she couldn't think of any way to break the silence, which was growing steadily more uncomfortable.

"Of course, he did let me get a proper education," Harry said thoughtfully.

"What?"

"Voldemort," he clarified, and she noted the change in name with relief. "He never attacked anything close to me mid-term, and he let me do all my exams, except History of Magic, and that was sort of my fault for falling – asleep."

Ginny couldn't help but laugh outright. She hadn't really had much to laugh about lately, and even though she could tell he wasn't entirely comfortable with joking about this, she appreciated the effort. "Of course. One must ensure one's opposition is properly educated."

He snorted, slipping his arm around her again. "Yeah. Now I come to think of it, he did send me an armed escort to school this year. Knew I didn't trust the Ministry to take me, so he thought he'd offer me an alternative. Thoughtful."

"Definitely," she concurred, letting her head rest against his shoulder. "He also made sure Hogwarts stayed open, with a headmaster you were familiar with."

"And didn't bring Umbridge back."

"Doubt she would have come back anyway. Too many centaurs around. I wonder what happened to her."

Harry's arm tightened around her, and she knew without looking that the hand which was rather painfully clamped around her upper arm had 'I must not tell lies' scored into it. "Azkaban," he said, sounding grimly pleased. "She's awaiting trial."

"Good," Ginny said flatly.

Silence passed once more between them, but it was of the comfortable, companionable sort this time around.

"Will you go back to school next year?"

He paused, and she felt him shake his head. "No. I've spoken to the Auror department, and they're perfectly willing for me to train without my NEWTs. Apart from anything, I think the amount of people trying to befriend the famous Harry Potter will probably double. I already got a marriage proposal through the post from Romilda Vane."

Ginny sniggered. "Is that your way of telling me I've been replaced?"

"Yep," Harry answered, amusement clear in his voice. She imagined he was probably smiling, but she was too content in her current position to lift her head and check. "You're welcome to come to the wedding, though, as long as you promise not to make any embarrassing scenes."

"Hmm, no," she responded. "I promise to cause as much of a scene as I possibly can. How's that?"

"That sounds great," he answered. "I feel safe in the knowledge that if I ever do end up marrying Romilda Vane, the wedding at least will be a horrible embarrassment."

Ginny shifted positions, so her wand was settled more comfortably and securely against her body. "I'd say proposing over owl post is pretty embarrassing, but I think she went past feeling any form of embarrassment when she covered her dormitory in those Ministry posters of you, and charmed them to say '_Desirable_ No. 1'." Ginny hesitated, not wanting to say how seeing Harry's face staring down from all corners of the room had affected her. She decided to continue in the same lighthearted vein. "She probably wanted to get her proposal in first, to let you know you had options. Probably thought you'd be relieved to know you had options."

"_Options_," repeated Harry, stretching his legs out. "That's one way of putting it. I'm surprised that another proposal hasn't arrived whilst we've been sitting here."

She lifted her head to smile at him. "Errol's really slow sometimes, sorry."

He chuckled, running his fingers through her hair. "Ginny. I was thinking about maybe going travelling for a little bit. I have to be around for a couple of trials, and then I thought I might just take off for a little while. I'd have you back in time for school – that's if you wanted to come with me?"

She swallowed hard, not meeting his eyes. "We can't afford it."

"I can," he replied. "I've been awarded money from all quarters, more than I know what to do with, and certainly more than I deserve. Please, Ginny. I've never been abroad."

She sighed, turning her hands over in her lap. "How can I refuse a hero of the war?"

"You can't," he said smugly. "I'll never be refused anything again."

"That's what you think," Ginny informed him. "But it's now ten o'clock and Mum's certain to have noticed we're missing."

"Oh _hell_."

"Exactly. I'd be pretty worried if I were you. My mum's the one who defeated Bellatrix Lestrange, you know."

He cracked a smile. "I'd heard something like that. C'mon, let's go home."

She bit her lip, looking up at him as he extended his hand toward her. He looked better, happier than she had seen him in ages. Maybe it was okay that she had taken him back to the Burrow.

The Burrow too would begin to look better eventually, she knew. Maybe they didn't need Harry. Her parents had survived the casualties of the first war, after all. _She_ needed Harry, though, and her heart lifted at the thought of spending possibly a whole month with him before returning to Hogwarts.

As she took his hand, he pulled her close and planted a kiss on her mouth.

"If you're hoping that sort of behaviour will endear you to my mother, you're mistaken," Ginny chided.

"I didn't really have your _mother_ in mind just then," he muttered, and she grinned.

"That's good to know."


	2. the ties that bind

Many thanks to the lovely Anna, who betaed for me in the small hours of the morning!

And thank you to everybody kind enough to review the last chapter! I did try to reply to everybody, but apologise for those I neglected. Title was formerly 'King's Cross', but since the station only features in the first chapter, I thought it better to change it.

Enjoy!

* * *

Funerals. 

The thought had been consuming Ginny's mind, and her dreams (when she managed to sleep long enough to dream) were full of phoenix song and earth and flowers. She almost cried out on waking, but stifled it, remembering herself in time to avoid disturbing her room-mate.

Fleur was already awake, however. She had neatly folded away all the sheets and blankets that she had been using, and her bed was nowhere to be seen. Clothes were busy finding their place in her large trunk, and she was brushing her long hair.

She must have seen that Ginny was awake through the mirror; she set her brush down with a solemn look and turned around.

"You and 'Arry, you are off tomorrow, _oui_?"

Ginny shook her head. "Day after tomorrow," she corrected, aware that something seemed to have happened to her voice. It appeared to have shrunk in the night, unaware that its owner was almost seventeen, not seven.

"Bill and I shall be 'ere to say goodbye," Fleur announced, placing her brush in a silver box. "We will Apparate in, and zere will not be too many people in ze morning." She waved her wand, and the ornate box also settled itself into her trunk. "And you will find it easier to get ready, wiz your room all to yourself."

Well. That was certainly true. Ginny picked up Bill's old stuffed bear and hugged it tightly. She wasn't quite sure if she wanted her room all to herself, but she wouldn't say it. Let Fleur think she'd helped for once. She probably just wanted to get out of this house, and Ginny couldn't really blame her, two days shy of doing the same.

"Where are you going first?"

"Not sure," Ginny answered, sitting up in bed. "We haven't really talked about it too much, we've been-" She broke off there, but Fleur knew what she meant. To avoid meeting her sister-in-law's eyes, Ginny got up and began retrieving the things she'd need for the day. "I feel _guilty_," she said finally, needing to say it to somebody. "He's paying for so much, and I want to pay for some of it, but, well, I can't."

Fleur patted Ginny's shoulder reassuringly. "'Arry understands zis," she said confidently. "'E wants you wiz 'im. You did not invite yourself."

Ginny nodded uncomfortably. She knew Fleur was trying to extend the hand of friendship, but she couldn't bring herself to play along, not when they would be burying her brother in a few short hours. "Thanks, Fleur," she murmured, finding herself swept into a hug.

"I will see if zere ees anytheeng I can do to 'elp with your 'oliday," Fleur said thoughtfully, releasing Ginny.

Ginny was too weary to protest that they didn't need Fleur's help, but felt a dim sense of fore-boding. She hoped Fleur's idea of help didn't mean accompanying them.

* * *

Ginny _tried_ not to dwell on the funerals. They buried Fred, Remus, and Tonks side-by-side, despite some protestations from Tonks's mother. It seemed fitting, to Ginny at least. They had fought together, sworn allegiance to the Order, laughed together. 

Died together.

She felt a queer sort of pain in her chest, and was glad that she would not have to face three separate ceremonies. She buried her face in her mother's shoulder, feeling Molly Weasley tremble against her.

George had set off a barrage of fireworks, and insisted some sort of banshee music accompany the whole ceremony. Ginny thought she heard Fleur refer to Celestina Warbeck, but let the snide comment pass for once. Celestina did have banshee accompaniment, after all.

Phoenix shapes twisted and turned, burning against the cool summer night's sky. Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, but the colours were imprinted on the inside of her eyelids. A set of cheers encouraged her to reopen her eyes, and she saw a fiery green snake weaving its way through thin air.

There was a blast, and the snake erupted into pieces, which flew together again, reforming as a sword.

She gave a half-hearted smile at the thought of Neville. It was nicer by far to think of the future that lay ahead now, ready for anybody to grasp, than of what would never – could never – happen now. Better to count blessings than losses.

She crept away from the white faces and thin lips once they returned to the Burrow, secreting herself round the side of the house.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, other arm wrapped around her knees, and leaned her head back against the outside wall. The quiet filled her, calming her. She found she didn't need to cry, and was relieved in a way. The fireworks were a fitting tribute for her lively brother, and there was no place for tears.

"Hiding?"

She tried to stand upright, and ended up banging her head against a forgotten window ledge. Her eyes were watering now, but out of physical pain. Rubbing her head, she slowly got to her feet to find Harry chuckling at her.

"It's not funny."

"Not in the least," he answered. "We don't find it funny, do we, Ted?"

The boy in Harry's arms gurgled happily at Ginny.

"See? Teddy doesn't find it funny either."

Teddy Lupin. She had never actually had the opportunity to see him up close. Holding her breath – though she didn't quite know why – she moved forward, noticing that the child's hair was beginning to change to a Weasley red as hers came into his line of sight. "That's a good colour," she informed him firmly. "You'll never want to change your hair colour again now."

Just as the words left her mouth, Teddy's hair became jet-black – Harry black. Harry sniggered, and told Teddy what a good boy he was and how proud his godfather was of him.

Ginny swallowed hard, wondering what Harry had looked like as a baby. He'd have been a bit older when Lily and James had died, she thought. They'd have seen him like this, all eager eyes and wandering fingers.

Had he attended their funeral? Had anybody tried to explain what was happening to him? Probably not.

She let out a sigh, and Harry's expression changed at once. "How are you holding up?" he asked quietly.

"I'm okay," she answered honestly, reaching to tickle one of Teddy's feet. "He's adorable."

"Delighted to have your approval," a new voice said, in a clipped tone. Ginny withdrew her hand at once, looking around to see Andromeda Tonks.

"Sorry, Andromeda," Harry apologised, handing his godson over. "I just took him to find Ginny, thought it'd be a good idea getting him out of the way of all the noises."

Andromeda nodded stiffly. Ginny was at once struck by her resemblance to her two sisters – she was somewhere in between, looks wise – until her eyes met Ginny's. Ginny felt her stomach lurch at the sadness in those eyes, and remembered that this woman had lost her husband too, in the past year. And her sister, but she bet Andromeda wasn't too bothered about that part. Bellatrix Lestrange didn't deserve to be missed.

"Are you going to the trial?"

Harry's question startled the brunette. She gave a harsh-sounding laugh. "No. The verdict does not matter to us." She fussed with Teddy's clothing, fixing his hat. "I am surprised that you are choosing to help him."

Harry shrugged. "He wasn't a part of things. They – regret it now, I think. And she saved my life."

Andromeda snorted. "She saved her own life."

Ginny frowned, unable to follow the conversation. Harry was shaking his head determinedly. "She'd have been killed if he'd found out what she did."

The older woman cleared her throat, her expression still showing her doubt. "Well. Even so; the verdict does not matter to us. I think we should be going now, it's time Teddy was fed." She gave the pair of them a scrutinising look, and then she smiled. It looked awkward, as though she was not accustomed to smiling, but it smoothed some of the sorrow from her features. "I hope you enjoy your travels. Be sure to visit Greece. Ted took me there on our honeymoon."

"We will," Harry replied. "Bye, Teddy-bear. I'll come and see you as soon as I'm back."

* * *

Harry was late. 

They needed to get a hand for him for the Weasley clock, Ginny decided, as she paced back and forth by the fireplace. Then she at least would know if he were in mortal danger or not.

Kingsley laughed. "Patience, my dear," he instructed. "It's a virtue you might want to cultivate."

Ginny's lips tightened and she refrained from comment. It wouldn't do to insult the Minister, especially not when her boyfriend was going to be working for the Ministry.

Just then, Harry entered the door of the Burrow.

"I'm back," he announced unnecessarily, entering the kitchen. "Oh, hi, Kingsley."

"Good afternoon, Harry," Kingsley said pleasantly. "How did the trial go?"

"Malfoy was discharged," Harry replied, shooting Ginny an uneasy look. She froze as if on cue, narrowing her eyes at him, waiting to hear _which_ Malfoy, and waiting to hear _why_. She was left unsatisfied, though, as he averted his eyes and changed the subject. "I guess you're not here to say goodbye?"

Kingsley shook his head. "Not exactly. The Muggle Prime Minister has expressed a desire to meet you – you're welcome to refuse, of course, but I thought I'd give you the option. And your relatives are due to be moved out of hiding today."

Ginny saw Harry's hands knotting into fists behind his back. "Okay."

"I understand if you don't want to meet with them," Kingsley said, getting to his feet. "I thought you might appreciate the chance to reassure them that everything's back to normal."

A choked sort of laugh emerged from Harry's throat. "Normal. Sure. Er, thanks, Kingsley. I guess I'll come with you, then."

Ginny started. Harry at _Malfoy_'s trial, meeting Muggle Prime Ministers, agreeing to see the _Dursleys_. And she would be left here, waiting. Again.

Her edginess had evidently shown in her face, because Harry asked if she'd like to come along.

She breathed a sigh of relief when Kingsley laughed and agreed that she could cultivate patience another time.

* * *

Kingsley brought them to a small, sparse office in the middle of London. Ginny looked around, searching for signs of anything typically Muggle to interest her father. 

Harry was in the middle of explaining the box-like contraption on the desk when Kingsley glanced at his watch and told them he would return in a moment.

Seizing the opportunity whilst she could, she put a finger to Harry's lips, halting him in his description of the board of keys. "Why were you at Malfoy's trial today?"

He sighed, breaking eye-contact with her. "I was giving evidence. For him."

"He was _housing Death Eaters_! How do you get past that? Besides everything else, oh, I don't know – like trying to kill us in the Department of Mysteries!"

Harry's jaw clenched, and his voice was very strained when he spoke. "Voldemort didn't always need an Imperius Curse to control somebody, Ginny. He wasn't acting of his own free will, not towards the end, anyway. They regret getting involved with him."

Something clicked in Ginny's brain, and she remembered that Harry had told Andromeda the same thing the day before. That would mean Narcissa Malfoy was the one who had saved Harry's life.

"They have suffered enough," Harry continued quietly, evidently thinking he hadn't convinced her. "We all have."

"Then why didn't you tell me you were going?" she replied, equally soft.

He did not provide an answer for this, pretending to be turning his attention to Kingsley, who was re-entering with Harry's family.

Ginny had been secretly delighted at this chance to see the Dursleys at close quarters. She was glad she hadn't shared this with Harry, from the way his shoulders tensed as they came into the room.

She reviewed the opinion entirely at the scream Mrs Dursley let out. She wasn't entirely sure what had caused the woman's upset, until she realised that Harry's aunt's eyes were fixed upon her.

Mrs Dursley was frantically patting the area over where her heart should have been (Ginny didn't really believe that anybody with a heart could have treated Harry so appallingly) and fanning her face with the other hand.

"What is it, Petunia?" Mr Dursley growled, narrowing his eyes at Ginny. "Did she do something to you, Pet? Some of that_ funny business_, eh?"

Petunia collected herself long enough to murmur, "Lily," dramatically.

A cold feeling stirred itself in Ginny's stomach. She knotted her fingers together tightly, the flesh turning white. "I – I'll wait outside," she muttered, shrugging Harry's hand off as he reached out for her.

Once outside, Ginny found herself in a corridor, with only one other occupant – a man, sitting a little further along. He looked up as the door clicked shut but, seeing only Ginny, returned to his newspaper.

She sat down on a cushioned seat right outside the office she had just escaped, tapping her foot, tersely waiting for the door to open again.

When it did, she started to her feet, but sank back down as the bulky form of Dudley Dursley emerged.

"Are you Harry's girlfriend then?"

Ginny folded her arms over her chest, taking in Harry's cousin. There was no discernable resemblance; both boys seemed to take mostly after their fathers. Dudley seemed to shrink under her gaze, which amused her, until she remembered that most of his wizard encounters had not turned out well. "Yeah," she said quietly.

"You don't look like her, you know. Harry's mum," Dudley said, evidently thinking this was the source of her disquiet. "I think it was just the red hair. Do most wizards have red hair?"

Ginny snorted. "No, you've just come across a lot of members of my family," she replied truthfully, kicking at the ground with her heel. "How'd you know what Harry's mum looked like?"

"Mum has a photo of her." Dudley shrugged. "She took it when we went into hiding, and I found it when I went through her stuff. It _moves_." He paused, shuddering slightly. "So, that man who came to the house, the one who destroyed the living room…"

"Dad," Ginny supplied with a smile.

"And the three boys who came through the wall with him?"

Ginny's smile faded almost instantly. "My brothers," she said softly. Figuring that she should try to keep up the conversation, she added, "One of them didn't make it."

"I'm sorry," Dudley said. He _sounded_ honest. "Did that guy, the one with the long beard, did he make it?"

Dumbledore. She wondered when Dudley had come across him. "No."

"What about the weird one, the one with the funny eye?"

"No."

Dudley ran his hand through his gelled hair, looking awkward. "I'm sorry," he repeated, evidently not wanting to continue the list of the dead. "Good job it's over, then?"

"Yeah. Good job."

A door shut with a loud bang; Ginny looked up, startled, to see Harry standing there.

"Dudley," he said, sounding strained. "Nice to see you. Think your parents are just about to leave."

Dudley nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, thanks."

Harry held his own hands out to Ginny, and she got to her feet, slipping an arm around his waist. Much as she wanted to continue the Malfoy discussion, now wasn't the time, and she had a feeling she would have to let it go completely. An awkward silence fell, in which the forgotten man in the corridor had walked the entire length of it, and was now standing next to them.

"Harry Potter, I presume?" he asked Dudley eagerly.

"Err," Dudley managed, frowning at the man. "Hey, aren't you-"

"Delighted to make your acquaintance!" the man said, shaking Dudley's hand enthusiastically. "I can't tell you how thrilled I was when Mister Shacklebolt said that you wanted to meet with me. I suppose these are your friends?"

Harry sniggered into Ginny's ear, and she gave him a gentle push. "I'm Harry Potter," he informed the Muggle Prime Minister. "That's my cousin, Dudley Dursley."

The Prime Minister's beam didn't falter – he dropped Dudley's hand instantly, and seized Harry's. "Yes, of course you are," he agreed. "Wonderful to meet you, Mister Potter. Fantastic, what you've done. You've got the kind of spirit that makes England what it is today!"

"Er," Harry said. "Thanks."

"Very brave, yes, very brave indeed. I take it this is – a friend of yours?" the Prime Minister asked, gesturing at Ginny and looking disappointed at the lack of response from Harry.

"Yeah," Harry replied, not looking inclined to introduce Ginny. He rubbed his forehead, obviously trying to think of something else to say. "You look different on the telly," he offered finally, and Ginny groaned inwardly. "Sort of – older, I guess."

The Prime Minister frowned at him. "There was an election last year," he said, frustration evident on his face before he managed to cover it with a wide smile. "Perhaps you're thinking of the last leader?"

"Probably."

"Well," the man began, fixing Harry with an intense look. "Hopefully we'll be able to establish a close working relationship between our two governments, so we can do as much as possible to prevent this sort of thing happening again."

"I think that's really something for the Ministry of Magic to decide," Ginny cut in coolly, seeing Harry was going to offer another single word response. She knew he had developed a distrust of politicians and really, after meeting this one, she couldn't blame him. There was something instantly off-putting about him, for all his smiles.

"Quite, quite."

"Dudley's interested in politics, aren't you, Dudley?" Harry put in suddenly. "Muggle politics, too."

From the scowl Dudley sent Harry, Ginny deduced this wasn't entirely true. "Yeah. We vote Conservative, though. I mean, I didn't vote," he said hastily. "Too young. But Dad said he'd disown me if I ever voted Labour."

The Prime Minister's smile was entirely artificial by this point, and it was probably unfortunate for Dudley that his parents had just emerged.

"Oh, I was joking, Dudley!" Vernon boomed, looking anxious. "We're red at heart, couldn't stop playing _Things Can Only Get Better_. Yes, we voted for – for that chap, didn't we, Pet? Shame he didn't get in, but we'll be ready. Just waiting for a by-election, we are!"

"This way, Mister Dursley," Kingsley said, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

The Dursleys followed Kingsley's directions obediently, but Mr Dursley continued to shout supporting things over his shoulder, reassuring him that the Dursleys much preferred him to that chap who wasn't even fit to conduct buses.

She wasn't quite sure what conducting buses had to do with politics, or why it should be relevant that he had had a disgraceful cabinet, but her father had taught her that Muggles were just a bit odd.

"Well, well, quite a – fascinating man," the Prime Minister said weakly.

Harry grinned. "Yeah, that sounds about right. We – ah-" He glanced down at Ginny, apparently stuck for an excuse.

"We should be going," Ginny put in helpfully. "Mum's going spare because I'm not around for my coming-of-age. She wants to spend as much time with me as possible."

Harry pulled up his sleeve to check his watch. "Well, seeing as we only have a few hours to spare, we should probably let her do that. Mister Shacklebolt should be back in a moment to take care of you," he added, addressing the Prime Minister.

* * *

Ginny decided that, one day, she would make sure Hermione got the appreciation she deserved. The older girl had spelled one of Ginny's bags so they were able to transport their belongings around with ease, including Bill's tent. 

This gratitude did _not,_ of course, extend to cover Hermione's boyfriend. Ron had flat-out refused to look after Arnold whilst Ginny was gone, and had pulled Harry aside twice to warn him about hurting Ginny. It was a fairly stupid move in a house where eavesdropping had been made excessively easy. He had _then_ interrupted a stolen minute between Ginny and Harry by proclaiming that Pig's cage needed cleaning. Grinning, he had told Ginny that she would be best doing it without magic whilst Ron distracted Crookshanks in order to keep Pig safe. Harry had slipped away with a grin, saying it wasn't up to him to come between siblings, leaving Ginny in a foul mood.

She stomped back up to her room afterwards and threw open the door, finding Ron distracting Crookshanks's owner instead. On Ginny's bed.

"Oh, er, Ginny, I'm sorry. We were looking for Crookshanks, weren't we, Hermione?"

Ginny blocked the doorway entirely, fixing her face with the smile she had learnt off the Muggle Prime Minister. "That's okay, Ron," she said brightly. "It's so _nice_ to see you two together!"

Ron looked wary. "Um, thanks, Ginny."

"What was the final push? I don't think you ever told me! Was it Ron's sudden love of literature?"

"Wha-"

"Well, it probably wasn't that, was it, Ron? After all, you only really like one book, don't you? It's that book about charms, isn't it? Was it your _charming_ abilities, then?"

Ron's face was slowly turning red, and he made a lunge for Ginny. Well-practised at running away from irate brothers, she skipped down the stairs and right into an awkward-looking conversation between Harry and her mother.

"No, _really_, Mrs Weasley, I can't accept it," Harry was insisting, placing a bag of coins on the countertop with a side-look at Ginny.

"Harry, you _git_," Ron exploded, storming into the kitchen.

"Ron!" Mrs Weasley scolded, but it was a half-hearted effort. She still looked uncomfortable as she picked the bag up, turning back to tend to the dinner.

"Sorry, Mum. Harry, you're a complete prat, didn't you read it properly? You're not supposed to _show_ it to them!"

Harry raised his eyebrows at Ginny, and she shrugged back at him, looking as innocent as she possibly could. "Yeah, sorry, Ron. I must have – uh, must have missed that part."

* * *

Please take the time to review. Let me know where you'd like Ginny and Harry to travel to! (though it would have to be within Europe) 


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